Man’s jaw broken in assault

A 20-year-old man is in hospital with a broken jaw after he was attacked by a group of men near a nightclub early on Saturday morning.

The man was kicked in the face at 3am on Saturday near to Chalmers nightclub in Bathgate, West Lothian.

A group of men approached the 20-year-old who was in the lane opposite the club, then knocked him to the ground and started to kick him in the head.

Following the attack, the victim was taken to St John’s Hospital in Livingston where he is being treated.

Police are now on the hunt for four suspects described as white and in their early twenties.

The first was described as 5ft 9ins with a stocky build, wearing jeans and a dark hooded top. The second suspect was 6ft 4ins tall with a slim build and long blonde hair while the third man was stocky, 5ft 11ins with brown hair and wearing a green tracksuit top and the final suspect was wearing a white t-shirt and had a shaved head.

A police spokesman said: “While the victim’s injuries are not life threatening, he has endured a painful and frightening assault and we are treating this extremely seriously.

“Officers are keen to speak to anyone with information that can assist with our enquires or who recognises the description of the suspects.

“Similarly, anyone who was in the precinct around 3.00am on Saturday morning and saw anything suspicious is asked to contact police immediately.”